Self-canceling coupon



1,330,217.. Patented Feb.1o,1920;

E. L met.

SELF CANCELING COUPON.

APPLICATION FILED ,'AN. 9. |919.

-' XTR/D sans ra'runr onirica.

EDWARD I. RICE, 0F SYR'ACSE, NEW YORK.

sIELF-caivcnLING ooUPoN.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD I. RICE, citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Canceling Coupons, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

IThis invention relates to a new and useful s'elfcanceling coupon produced inintegral strips consisting of avioluralityof such coupons. This application is a continuation in partof my copeiiding application, Serial Number 261,477. V

The coupon method of sellingmerchandise involves the purchase of coupons by the prospective buyer and the payment for mer-v chandise by such coupons properly marked as exchangeable for vafpredetermined quan-v tity of merchandise so' that the sale of the merchandise does not in itself involve a transfer of money.

, Coupons become lost or are given away or'sold by drivers and others delivering merchandise, and a considerable quantity of them are reused in exchange for merchandise without the seller of the merchandise receiving any consideration for thev same. This results from the fact thatthe coupon is, at all times, negotiablerby the bearer to the extent'of its exchange and value` in merchandise.

In certain characters of business-done on coupon basis one of which is here specifically referred to as illustrative viz: the sale of ice, the seller loses large quantities of yice by reason of the negotiability of these coupons. The primary object of this invention is, therefore, to produce 'a self-cancel ing coupon that when once used is no longer negotiable,and preferably contains upon its face a statement as to its prior use or non! negotiability. Y Y y Another object relates to4 the production of a sales record in connection with eachI coupon strip by means of which a recordv it no longer has a representative valuereii-VV I Specicationof Letters Patent. Patented Feb.` 10, 1920. Appiieatidn inea ianuary e, 1919. seriai No. 270,316.

invention I have disclosed a couponv strip consisting, in this instance, of a sales recordv and three coupons vertically .arranged beneath the sales record,the.sales ,recordv and each of the coupons united by a common header constituting a fourth coupon, the sales record and the coupons being separated from each other and from'the header by any suitable indicating means as lines which, in

this preferred embodiment, take the formY of a series of alined perforations permitting easy separation of the sales record, the cou-A i pons andthe header@ In thev drawings: *Y

Figure l, isa face View of a coupon strip of myvinvention. Y

Fig. 2, is a rear view of the same.

Fig. 3, is a rear view similar to Fig. 2, and including a modification of the word arrangement upon the coupons and header.

As illustrated in the drawings, my invention takes form in a strip, 1- of suitable material, as paper, cardboard, or thelike, divided vertically byline 2 into two sections, three and four, respectively, the secl tion -3-' divided by horizontal lines i5- similar coupons -7,-. lnithis illustration I have shown three such coupons', butin` actual practice my coupon strip consists of eight coupons,rseven of which are lverti` cally arranged, one above theother. 'The lines, -2- and -5- are preferably formed by alinedperforations, or the material may be Votherwise weakened along Athese lines to permit easy separation'of the parts. The section -4- constitutes a header integrally united to the sales record and each of the vertically arrangedcoupons, and in itself constitutes an additional `or last coupon, preferably of equal Vvalue withv each of the other coupons. Y

The portion of the coupon strip referred "to as the sales record portion is preferably formed at the upper end of theV section -3', and bears a number, in this'instance, f Number. 1006, and each coupon bears the samenumbertliereby identifying the coupon as forming or having formed a :portion of a coupon strip ofthat number.

The sales record valso bears-indica indicating its de-v Y signed use as,xfor instance, thewoids Sales 'Y record together with blank spaces: for re- V ceiving' the name and the address .of a person purchasing the coupon strip and also the amount of merchandise for which the entire 5 Y strip is exchangeable and the amount of and is 4rtherefore not negotiable forv ice.V

money for-Which the coupon strip is sold as, for instance, 200 lbs. ice $1.00. It may also contain blank spaces for receiving the route and number of the salesman selling the coupon. When the coupon is sold the sales record is detachedand retained by the salesman and 'liled for future reference. Each coupon bears a number preferably beginningy withlnumber 1, and continuing consecutively downwardly through the vertically" arranged V` coupons and terminating Vu'fith'tlielast consecutive number upon the headerl` 'or' last coupon. The front of the Cidupon strip bears the namer of the seller of the "coupon or the' person who will exchange a1 predeterminedl quantity of merchandise for tlie'coupon and this name appears upon each verticallyfarranged coupon and the adj'a'c'entportion of the' header or last coupon, forinstance, John Doe'Co., a portion of this naine appearing upon each coupon and the other portion upon the adjacent part of the'header'soth'at when the couponis detached from the header only a part of the name appears thereon.

Under/'this naine, and upon eaclrcoupon and` theadjacent portion of the header appe'ars'a statement in substance as follows: Sold only inl strips ,of two or more coupons. Nojic'e sold for cash, and as a portion of this statement is 'on each coupon and thev other portion upon the adjacent part of the headerit isfa'ppar'e'nt when the coupon is detached from the headerthat it has constitilted" part of a coupon strip and by its removal from the'reinaining portions of the striphas been' mutilated 'and rendered incomplete. Each coupon, including the headerfcontainfs' indiciaY showing' the quantity o-fm'erchandise for which it is exchangeable. The' header contains a statement to thereffect that This strip represents the last coupon and should be turned in for 50 lbs, ofl ice. Not good' if mutilated, preferably written" vertically ,of the header.

As shown in Fig; 2, the'rear Vof the sales record preferably contains the name of the person or doni'pany appearing acrossfthe face vof the coupon strip, and may contain other information such as the address, phone number, etc.,'together with a space for recei'virig' remarks' that the salesmen or others may" careto VIiiake'with regard to related matt'erTfThe rear 'of each ofthe vertically arranged couponscon'tains a lstatement tothe following effect This coupon" has'been used TlieAreIa'r/of thehead'er strip orllast coupon contains'a statement tothe following effect'z This istrip represents the A'last coupon' and c6uponsliistgftheir 'for the last userths" adjacent end of eachcoupon there is a statement as follows: Not good if mutilated.

1n Fig; 3l have disclosed the rear of a coupon strip similar in all respects to the coupon strip of Fig. 2 except that the words Not good if mutilated are so arranged upon the header or lastcoupon a's'to'ieadin conjunction with the statement upon the coupons, across the coupon and the header' to indicate that while the`l couponis attached` to the header it hasnot been used, and'is,

therefore, good, but is not negotiable'when mutilated by detachment from4 the' header. The statement upon the coupon' itself remains Vthe saine.

The result of this constructionof coupon strip is that the seller, has, atall.l times, a

complete record of sales, both of4 coupon strips and of merchandise exchangedforv all4 or any lportion thereof, and ultimately when the entire exchange has been completedreoeives all portionsof the coupon strip as it wasV originally produced for sale.l The ver.

tically arranged coupons are only exchangeable for merchandise while they remain at-r tached to the header, or last coupon andare mutilated by detachment therefrom "prevents ing'their sale'by drivers of delivery wagons;

indicia and wording thereon, as illustrative of a Vperhaps preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to limit myself to the saine in the exactform illustrated as various equivalent forms, indicia and words may be substituted for those shown without departing from the spirit of this invention asset forth in the appendedclaims.

What l claim is: f

l. A coupon strip divided',vertically into two sections, one of said'sections divided;

horizontally into a series ofcoupons', ar.A ranged vertically one above the other, and the other section' bearingindicia constitut-y ing it an additionalcouponV and forming' a header uniting all the coupons,the ynameof.

the seller. appearing kupon each? 'couponxand the adjacent portion' of the header shows thatl such naine is mutilatedzby the coupon from the header.

2. A coupon strip divided' into two'f sections, one of said sections divided intoa sales record and series of coupons,y the detachment of other section constituting a" headerxuniting the salesrecord and the coupons.V

.3.`A coupon s trip divided tinto" twosec; tions, onel ofv said sections;l dividedl'into a V on Cil

5. A coupon strip divided vertically intov two sections, one of said sections divided horizontally into a series of coupons arranged vertically one above the other and the other section bearing indicia constituting it an additional coupon and 'forming` a header uniting all the coupons, said vertically arranged coupons bearing indicia indicating their non-negotiability vwhen, de-

tached from the header andvall of said coupons bearing the same identifying number. 6. A coupon strip divided vertically-into two sections, one of said sections divided horizontally into a series of coupons arranged vertically oiie -above the other and the other section bearing indicia constituting it an additional coupon and forming an integral header uniting all the coupons and written matter extending-respectively across each coupon and the adjacent portion of the headerV so that such written matter is mutilated by detachment of the coupon from the header.

' 7 A coupon strip divided vertically into two sections, one of said sections divided yhorizontally into a series of coupons arranged vertically one aboveth'e other and the other section bearing indicia constituting it an additional coupon and forming an integral header uniting all the coupons and written matter extending respectively across each coupon and the adjacent portion of the header so that such written matter is mutilated by detachment of the coupon from the header, said vertically arranged coupons bearing indicia indicating their non-negotiability when ydetached from the header.

8. A coupon strip divided into two sections, one of said sections divided into a sales record and a series of coupons, the

other section constituting an integral header uniting the sales record and the coupons,

said header indicated to constitute lan additional coupon and all of said coupons bearing indicia indicating their exchange value,

the aggregate amount of which isvindicated upon the sales record and all of said coupons and said sales record bearing the same identifying number. l

9. A coupon strip divided longitudinally into ytwo sections, one of said sections di vided laterally into a series of coupons, the

other section constituting a header uniting` Yall the coupons and written matterl extending respectively across each coupon and the adjacent portion of the header sothat such written matter ismutilated by detachment of the coupon from the header.

10. A coupon strip divided longitudinally into two sections, one of said sections divided laterally into a series of coupons, the

other section constituting a header' uniting Y all the coupons and written matter extending respectively across each coupon and the adjacent portion of the headerso that suchv written matter is 'mutilated lby detachment of the coupon from the header, and each ofsaid couponsbearing indicia indicating its non-negotiability when detached from Athe header.

11. .A coupon str ip divided longitudinally into two sections, one of said sections dividedV laterally into a series ofcoupons and the other section constitutingan integral header uniting all the coupons, each coupon and the adjacent portion of the header bearing indicia reading across the coupon and the adjacent portion of the header and setetl ting forth the negotiability of the coupon whileattached to the header, and the portionof said indicia borne by the coupon alone setting forth the non-negotiability of the coupon.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Sd'day of January, 1919.. Y

. EDWARD I. RICE. Witnesses: i Y

II. E. CHASE, Y E. A. THOMPSON. 

